You've Got Mail
by SparrowsFlight
Summary: AU Belle French and Callan Gold have been slowly falling in love via email for months, never knowing that in real life they are actually business rivals whom hate each other with a passion.
1. Chapter 1

**Just an AU prompt that has been sitting in my saved docs folder for weeks. I am still working on LPFC but I hope you will enjoy this in the interim. Fabulous cover art courtesy of the talented wonder, Midstorm, on tumblr. Thank you love!**

* * *

Belle French held her breath and watched slyly from the curtain of her bedroom window for her long term live in boyfriend, Geoffrey, to exit the building on his way to work. The mornings were the favorite part of her day, especially when her boyfriend was gone so that she could indulge herself in one of her guilty pleasures; the internet. Geoffrey was a bit of a technophobe that was convinced that modern advancements were going to be the downfall of all mankind, beginning with the internet. Whenever he caught Belle online he would begin harping his conspiracy theories and it was easier for her just to wait until he was gone. He didn't like what he couldn't seem to understand, whereas Belle appreciated it for the marvel it was.

They had been in a relationship together for nearly five years now and it had become a thing of habit more than any kind of love or connection. She didn't doubt that Geoffrey was any more interested in her than she was in him. He was convenient though. Comfortable.

She waited for a few more moments and finally he appeared out the front door of their apartment complex and was on his way down the street. With a squeal Belle dropped the curtain and ran the short distance from the window to her desk and opened up her portable computer with a grin. With a grin and the crack of her knuckles she double clicked the AOL icon and waited to be connected to the internet.

If Belle was perfectly honest with herself, it wasn't exactly the wondrous depths of knowledge or endless possibilities that the internet entailed that excited her. Those were all good things and she loved to see how things progressed further but all she really was looking forward to was three little words. You've. Got. Mail. She smiled and spoke the words out loud in time with the computer voice, quickly clicking on the icon of a letter waiting in a mailbox. The page loaded and she felt her stomach tighten in anticipation as she was rewarded with an email from her favorite person, _thespinner61._

Belle had met _thespinner61 _in an AOL chat room several months ago by accident. It was supposed to be a chat room to talk about common interests in books but turned out to be nothing but crude jokes and desperate attempts at cybersex. Belle had almost logged off after several sexist comments were directed towards her for not instantly responding to queries of her a/s/l. To be honest she had no idea what that even meant. Before she could respond _thespinner61 _came to her rescue and responded, "_Go shake your ears." _Belle had laughed, catching the literary reference to Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare. It had very obviously flown over the head of her aggressor to which _thespinner61 _replied again, "_The simplicity of your character makes you exquisitely incomprehensible to me," _and "_If I were as ignorant as you Ben Rogers I wouldn't let on."_ Each quote taken from The Importance of Being Earnest and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn respectively. He had won her over instantly.

After that incident they had started sending each other emails back and forth for literal hours on end. They talked about all kinds of things. Literature, politics, art, film. Sometimes they even talked about things as simple as the weather and it never felt awkward or forced. The one thing they agreed to not speak of were things that were too personal. Names, ages, addresses and the like were never brought up. The only thing Belle knew was that he too lived in New York City and he had a long term girlfriend of his own.

They had been sending each other emails back and forth for five months now and the thrill of "you've got mail" had yet to wane.

_To: bookworm1984_

_Subject: RE: RE: RE: RE: books you must read spinner!_

_My dearest bookworm. I write to you from the middle of Atlanta as all hell is breaking loose as General Sherman and his Army invade. Our lovely protagonists have just braved all peril to escape and now have shared a very personal smooch before Rhett has decided (rather foolishly and quite dramatically) to go back and join the war efforts, leaving our strong, but distressed damsel to her own devices as she plots to make it to Tara._

_If you haven't noticed, at your quite incessant behest, I am hundreds of pages into your favorite literary endeavor, Gone With The Wind. Not exactly my cup of tea so far but I cannot say I am entirely dissatisfied with the quality of writing. Margaret Mitchell has a very distinct style and I must say that I quite enjoy when she becomes caught up in her descriptions, especially of the surroundings. It's enchanting in its own way. I will continue the ill-fated adventures of Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler when I return home this evening. _

_Tell me, now that I have started your novel, will you finally stop your hemming and hawing and pick up the Hunter S. Thompson novel we were discussing? I promise, his political commentary is often surprising, always amusing and generally spot on in ways you would never imagine. I recommend Fear and Loathing On the Campaign Trail '72. Great introduction to his Gonzo journalism. I raise a glass of Wild Turkey to him for that one._

_From the thumping noises coming from above, it would seem that the dragon has finally stirred. Best I get the coffee pot brewing before she scourges me with her hellfire. _

_One last note in regards to your work related problem. Tell the guy threatening your business to fuck off. Stand up for yourself. Do the brave thing and bravery shall follow my dear. _

_-Spinner_

* * *

_You've got mail!_

Callan Gold turned back to look at his open laptop on the table. Bookworm was a fast writer this morning he thought with a smile. Normally she took longer to respond, indicating that she was pensive and probably didn't agree with something that he had said, usually something over literature. The faster she responded, the better mood that she was in, the more excited she was to discuss things.

Turning back to the coffee mug he was fixing, he added three packets of sugar and some hazelnut creamer, stirring and finishing just in time to hand it off to it's recipient, Mal, as she stumbled blindly through the swinging kitchen door. Mornings were not Mal's high points of the day, whereas Callan had always been a bit of an early riser.

Mal graciously accepted the steaming cup and slinked into one of the chairs at the small breakfast table. She shoved Callan's laptop back over to his side of the table as he rejoined her. He raised an eyebrow to her as she slurped the coffee down, not seeming to care how hot it was.

"I'm starting to believe you are really a dragon with your high tolerance to scorching coffee," he smirked and resumed reading his newspaper as Mal made an incomprehensible grunt, finishing her first cup of coffee of the day and standing to fix another.

He and Mallory had been going through this same routine for decades. First as friends and then as more, though he would hesitate to call her his girlfriend. Their relationship wasn't like that. They were more roommates. With benefits. They lived together, worked together, slept together but there was no real romantic love between them. They had been friends longer than Callan could even remember. One day not too long after his wife had left him and took their now estranged son with her, Mallory had shown up at his door and never left.

It was an arrangement that they both were happy with. Neither of them had to be alone anymore.

Mal took a drink out of her second cup of coffee and feeling decidedly more human, leaned back against the counter and eyed Callan though his face was obscured by the paper.

"So, do we have any small business owners lives to ruin today?" she asked, her voice still a bit raspy with sleep, a hand combing through her messy blonde hair.

"Only one today I'm afraid. That same damn little bookshop around the corner from where we are building. The owner is stubborn as a mule, refuses to sell. I sent her one last offer that I think may entice her. If not well, don't say that we didn't try to help her come six months down the road when her little shop is in the hole," he answered back, folding the paper up in front of him.

Mal gave him a crooked smile. "There's a reason that you are known more for your cruel business tactics than your shite coffee."

"I'm a tea man, Mal. You've known this for 20 years. Perhaps if you could wake up at a normal time you could make your own coffee instead of being forced to have your first five cups of the day be my 'shite' brew."

Mal laughed in response. That was something that would definitely never be happening. "Well, I'm off to shower, Cal, I'll be ready to go quicker than you can say Maleficent!" she winked in regards to the nickname he had given her when he didn't think she was listening.

Callan waited until he heard the tell tale screech of the shower faucet coming to life before he pulled his laptop in front of him and grinned at the unread message from _bookworm1984._

_To: thespinner61_

_Subject: RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: books you must read spinner!_

_The Hunter S. Thompson speech again? After seeing that Johnny Depp film based off of his book last year I must admit that I am still a bit sceptical to read any of his works. Though the film did have a few redeeming qualities, particularly the wave speech at the end as he discusses the death of the American dream. I will trust you on this just as you have trusted me on Margaret Mitchell. _

_Speaking of, I promise that you will quite enjoy Gone With the Wind if you will quit being so cynical. You are right though, MM's imagery is one of my favorite things of the book. Aside from the strong female characters and the delightfully scandalous Captain Butler. _

_Perhaps I shall take a page from Scarlett O' Hara's book and stop being worried all of the time. I'll think of my problems tomorrow and accomplish what I need to today. I suppose I should keep this passage in mind..._

_"A startling thought this, that a woman could handle business matters as well as or better than a man, a revolutionary thought to Scarlett who had been reared in the tradition that men were omniscient and women none too bright."_

_I will take your advice to heart my friend. Do the brave thing and bravery will follow, right? Let you know how it turns out tonight. _

_Hope you have a great day. Beware the fire breathing dragon. _

_-bookworm_

Callan closed his laptop instead of choosing to respond. He didn't always consider himself a very sound advice giver but when _bookworm1984 _ had told him she was having trouble with a pushy man trying to hurt her business (which she refused to reveal to him, as per their anonymous disclosure), he knew that she just needed a little bit of a push to stand up for herself. If there was one thing that he knew, it was business. He was glad he could at least inspire marginal confidence and hoped that it would all work out for her in the end.

As the CEO of a successful, multi-billion dollar chain of bookstores, _Golden Books, _ he would like to think that he knew a few things about chasing away a competitor. After today, if the owner of _Fairytale Corner _accepted his buy out offer, his new store would be the only bookstore around for miles.

Packing up his things he moved towards the staircase as he heard Mal beginning to make her way down. It always amazed him how quickly she could go from the monster that morning to the beautiful, intimidating business woman she now presented herself as.

"Intimidating as always, my dear," he joked, taking her hand in his and kissing it.

"Why, Cal, you aren't turning romantic on me now are you?" she raised a brow.

"Of course not, we have business to tend to. If _Fairytale Corner _decides not to sell then we will just have to put them out of business the old fashioned way," he grinned, already calculating plans in his mind.

"What's the owner's name again? I will give them a call before lunch, see if I can push this little deal along any quicker."

"I think it's something french sounding," he said as he pulled a few papers out of his briefcase. "Ah, yes. Ms. Belle French, owner since her mother passed away five years ago."

Mal accepted the papers from Callan and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Well, lets go kick this little girl out of the neighborhood then."

Callan offered her a smile and then his arm as they made their way out the door.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Notes: Thank you to everyone whom participated in the TEA Awards. This fic tied for the win for Best Movie AU. Enjoy the new chapter and hopefully updates will be more frequent from here on out!**

* * *

Belle wasn't quite sure how long she stood staring at the monstrosity being built on the corner of Main and Plum Streets, all she was sure of was that it was nothing but trouble. _Golden Books_ had systematically begun eliminating rival businesses from the area for nearly a year now, ever since they had bought their lot. It had been subtle at first but one by one stores were being closed, business owners that had been around since the turn of the century accepting lucrative payouts instead of dealing with the competition that would be provided until there was only one bookstore left, and that was her own, _Fairytale Corner_.

_Fairytale Corner_ had been her mother's pride and joy from the moment that they opened their doors when Belle was 6 years old. She grew up in the bookstore, playing and reading after school while her father ran his flower shop a few blocks down. Belle always felt that her father was perhaps a little disappointed that she had never shown as much interest in his flowers as she had her mother's books but aside from good natured ribbing, he fully supported Belle when she began to officially work with her Mother.

Her mother had passed away five years ago from a heart attack, but in her will had given her 23 year old daughter sole proprietorship of her business and Belle would be damned if she let some greedy corporation swoop in and erase her mother's legacy. Belle huffed and though it was perhaps childlike to do, kicked the "Coming Soon!" sign in front of her.

Taking a sip from her styrofoam cup of tea, she happened a glance at her watch and realized that she was already five minutes late opening up her own store. She had been standing there much longer than she originally thought. Ruby and Leroy were probably already there to begin opening the store but Belle still felt awful for having gawked for so long, and took off in a jog towards_Fairytale Corner_, careful not to spill her tea. She rounded the block and had her destination in sight when she crashed into something solid, the lid on her tea flying off as the cup was crushed against whatever she ran into. Especially when she realized it was a person that she ran into.

It was a man, not much taller than herself but radiated an aura of importance. If his attitude didn't give him away then the expensive three piece suit he wore did. A three piece suit that was now completely soaked through with her drink. Thank goodness it was only an iced tea and not hot tea or she might be looking at a lawsuit.

"Oh my goodness, I am so sorry, I didn't even see you there," she said and began rifling through her purse looking for napkins or at least a tissue. The man still seemed stunned, his hands held out in front of him in disbelief. The blonde haired woman he was walking with could barely contain her laugh as she looked over her friend.

Belle finally found a crinkled napkin and began dabbing at the mans suit and repeating her apologies before he gently removed her hands from his body.

"Just stop, that's making it worse," he said and Belle couldn't help but notice the slight accent he spoke with. The man took out his pocket square and wiped his hands and his neck where some of the tea had splashed.

"I am truly sorry, it was all my fault…"

"Well, it certainly wasn't my fault," he muttered under his breath still wiping at his wet clothing.

Belle scrunched her nose but continued on. " I was running late for work and I just wasn't looking where I was going…"

"It's fine," he hushed her.

"I don't have much money but the least I can do is pay for your dry cleaning," she started going through her purse again searching for her wallet.

"I think you've done enough, dearie. Just go," he said and began walking away, grabbing the elbow of the laughing woman and continuing down the street.

Belle stared after him for a moment before letting out an exaggerated sigh and hurrying down the street to her shop.

* * *

"What exactly are you laughing at Mal?" Gold asked as they made it to the construction entrance of _Golden Books_ and he finally let go of her arm.

"Nothing at all. Except you're always harping to me that you're such a "tea" man even as early as just this morning and I can appreciate the irony of you being completely soaked by your favorite beverage for the duration of this meeting with the contractor," she grinned, her eyes sizing up his soaked shirt and pants.

"Yes, well, it was quite an unfortunate incident," he began and Mal snorted but he felt a smile tug his lips as a new plan formulated in his mind. "Which is why I am not going to be present for the meeting, Mal. You are."

Mal opened her mouth to protest but he raised a hand to silence her and she pouted, knowing that the battle was already lost.

"Meet with Mr. Nolan and make sure everything is still on schedule for opening next month and take care of anything that he or his team may need. Give me a call when it's complete," he said and turned around to walk away. "Also," he called over his shoulder, "don't forget to call Fairytale Land or whatever it's called and make sure you remind Ms. French that this is our non-negotiable final offer and to not take it would be devastating for her business."

"Cal!" she called out before he could round the corner where the company car that had dropped them off was waiting.

"Problem?" Gold asked turning on his heel to look his partner over. If looks could kill he was pretty sure he would have been dead twenty years ago but the look Mal was giving him now certainly would have done him in.

"Of course not," she replied drily. "But if you take the car back to the offices then how the hell am I supposed to get out of here?"

"Oh, Mal. That's what cabs are for my dear," Gold grinned again and this time he did laugh at her misfortune. If there was one thing in the universe that Mal hated it was being forced to use public transportation. He turned the corner before she had a chance to scorch him with her flames.

* * *

Belle rushed to through the door of the shop at break neck speeds, nearly knocking the little bell from its spot above the door and felt the eyes of her employees on her.

"I'm so sorry I'm late," Belle began walking further into the building.

"You were staring at that ridiculous building again weren't you?" came the gruff reply from the man behind the cash register.

Leroy had been working in the shop since Belle's mother had opened the doors. No one had wanted to take a chance on the man after he had become known for his stints in the local precinct's drunk tank, but Belle's mother had taken a chance on him and with hard work Leroy had been able to pull himself out of the darkness that threatened to drag him under. He always had a keen ability to be able to tell what Belle was thinking or feeling without her ever having to express herself. Sometimes it was bothersome but other times it was a useful trait.

"Partly," Belle sighed placing her purse underneath the counter and clocking in for the day. "I was staring at that concrete monstrosity and when I realized the time I rushed off and ran into this couple, spilling my iced tea all over his really expensive looking suit," she groaned.

"You're lucky you don't drink coffee," he lamented.

"More like he's lucky I don't drink coffee. I felt so awful but he just brushed it off without a fuss. I swear, I can't take one more embarrassing thing happening to me today. It had all started out so well too," she sighed.

"Ohhh a little morning delight?" Leroy asked waggling his eyes suggestively. Belle scoffed but found it hard to contain her laughter.

"Don't be so ridiculous. You know Geoffrey wouldn't do something so scandalous as to have relations in the daytime hours!" she laughed.

For as much as Geoffrey tried to come off as a suave ladies man he was very nearly terrified of sex. The idea of doing somewhere other than the darkness of their own room was absolutely out of the question.

"No, I got another email from my friend," Belle smiled and Leroy rolled his eyes.

"Of course, "the spinner" strikes again. Pray tell, what poetics did you lovebirds wax upon this morning?"

"Leroy! Do I detect jealousy in your tone?" Belle couldn't help but laugh as she continued on to the children's section of the store to begin preparations for storytime. Storytime was one of the shops biggest draws. They would be packed practically wall to wall with people and their children, in just a few short hours.

"Jealous? Of your mysterious literary hero? Please. The guy is probably older than I am and has wives and families in 32 different states and you were just sucker enough to be wooed by his charms."

Leroy didn't truly disapprove of her internet correspondence but never passed up an opportunity to tease Belle about her infatuation. She did value his opinion so she was very happy to discover that he didn't think she was half as crazy as everyone else thought she was. In many ways Leroy was almost like an older brother or a crazy uncle figure to her, so she craved that approval.

"Hush! I finally got him to give "_Gone With The Wind_" a try. I think we are taking amazing strides in our relationship," she joked before becoming more reflective. "He told me not to take the deal."

"I thought you guys never talked specifics?" he asked as he propped open the front door, allowing the warm air to breeze through the shop.

"We don't. I was just really frustrated after that last offer and may have let my frustrations slip a little. Told him I was being hassled. He said to tell them to go fuck themselves," she grinned and Leroy grunted in approval. "I just don't know Leroy. What do you think that I should do?"

Leroy paused and thought the subject over for a few moments. He offered her an unsure smile as he spoke. "I can't tell you what you should or shouldn't do, sister. Only you can decide what you think is right. I know that your mother would be proud of you regardless of what you decide."

Belle instinctively chewed her bottom lip as she thought of what Leroy said, the indecision and turmoil clashing in her mind. The offer from _Golden Books_ had been a more than generous one. Generous enough that she and her employees wouldn't need to worry about finding jobs for a long time but it didn't feel right to sell out either. Who knows what would become of the shop after it was sold. She couldn't bare for it to sit empty like all the other shops that had caved under the amount of money being thrown their way.

The phone ringing cut through Belle's thoughts and she sighed, pushing them out of her mind and answering the phone on the wall.

"_Fairytale Corner_, this is Belle speaking, how may I help you?"

"Ms. French? Mallory Park of _Golden Books _how are you doing today?" Belle opened her mouth to answer but Mallory plowed forward in her speech without another moment. "Wonderful. Listen we wanted to touch base and make sure that you were able to review the offer that we faxed to you a few days ago. Have you?"

Belle frowned. "Yes, yes I've looked it over—"

"Excellent, when would you like to close the deal? Mr. Gold was hoping to have this resolved no later than the end of the business day today. Do you think you could have that signed and faxed back over to us and then we could meet around lunch and finalize all of the details?"

Belle was nearly stunned into silence but she felt a deep rage begin to boil in her heart. Golden Books thought that they had already won, did they? That she would simply just roll over and let her mother's legacy simply be lost? Well, they could think again. Any possibility of her considering selling had absolutely flown out the window.

"No," she replied firmly, surprised herself by how calm and steady her voice was.

"No?" came the indignant response.

"No. I am not accepting your little deal. You tell Mr. Gold that if he thinks that he can just push and bully me into selling a business my family has worked hard for then he can think again. Tell him that he can shove this deal right up his arsehole!" she finished and slammed the phone down on the counter.

"Wow…that felt good," Belle said as she turned to Leroy who was watching her with a smile before they both burst out laughing.

"That's the way to do it sister. We won't go down without a fight," he laughed and hugged her.

* * *

Callan looked up from his papers as his heavy office doors were nearly thrown off their hinges by the sheer force behind their opening. He smirked and turned back to his papers. Mal was definitely still angry with him then.

"How did it go?" he asked as the clicking sound of his partner's heels came to a stop in front of his desk.

"Which part? The meeting with the contractor that you ditched me at? Or perhaps the part where I had to ride in some filthy cab that smelled like urine and potpourri? Or even better, having that mousy little shop girl telling me exactly which part of your anatomy to shove this deal?"

Gold finally looked up from his work and took in Mal's haggard appearance as she flopped down as unladylike as possible into one of his chairs. She was positively fuming with her lips pursed together and her brow quirked in a way that let him know that she was in no mood for anymore bullshit. If there was one thing that Mal hated more than public transportation, it was losing out on a deal.

He sighed and leaned back into his leather chair steepling his hands. Gold had hoped that they could have made their deal with the shop girl and be done with it.

"What did Nolan say? Is the store still on track for opening on time?"

"Yeah, things are looking good on their end. He said they are actually ahead on a few things, though he does want to meet with you personally to discuss some details. All in all the store is looking great. Just have the little mouse standing in our way," she answered and took a few sips of coffee from her ever present travel mug. It had to be at least her sixth refill of the day. Gold didn't understand how she did it.

"I'm not worried about the girl. Let her fight to stay afloat once we open. We made a generous offer and we won't be making another. One way or the other,_Fairytale Corner_ will not be around for long." He stood up from his chair at that and came around to lean on the front of his desk before Mal. "Have you seen this bookshop before?"

"A couple times. It's a little hole in the wall but it has character and some roots within the local community. Nothing special."

Gold pursed his lips and pushed off his desk, pacing the room in thought for a moment. "You said she has ties to the community? What kind?"

"I don't know Cal, what do all of these little places have in common? Storytime, book drives, local author signings, that kind of thing," she said disinterestedly. "Why, what's going through your mind?"

Gold stopped his pacing. He wasn't worried about the competition that this shop girl could provide. He was more concerned about how her ties to her surrounding community could effect the opening of his store. He didn't want for her to rally the community behind her. That always meant boycotts and picketing and the same thing that all local businesses did whenever a larger corporation came knocking. It was a headache that he didn't feel like dealing with.

"Mal, clear my schedule for the next few hours," he said and grabbed his suit jacket from the back of his chair. He was thankful that when that woman spilled her tea all over him it had only really gotten his shirt wet. Though the black and white checkered shirt was not his favorite, it was one that he always kept on hand at the office. He was known to pull an over nighter or two when he was in the middle of a deal.

"I know that look. What are you planning?"

He smirked at her. "I'm going to check out _Fairytale Corner_. I need to see how serious she is about rejecting this deal. I don't want her rallying a protest because the big bad corporation came to her neighborhood. I'm sure you don't want that headache as well."

"So, what do you think you're going to do? Go undercover or something? She'll make you from a mile away. Suspicious man in an Armani suit showing up and asking a lot of questions about her business? You're losing your touch Cal."

Gold paused. Mal was right. He may not be as obvious as Mal was trying to make him out to be but he definitely needed a better cover than what he had.

"You said there's storytime?"

"Yes, but I don't see what that has to do with anything."

"When is the next one?"

Mal got up with a sigh and dug around Gold's briefcase before she came across one of their files on the little shop. "Noon, everyday."

Gold checked his watch, 10:45am.

"Perfect. Call Henry's school and let them know I will be picking him up at 11:30 for a doctor's appointment."

"You know, when Neal was forced to put you down as one of Henry's authorized guardians for pick ups, I'm not sure that this is what he had in mind," she contested.

Mal had been around from the very beginning of the problems that festered between father and son. They started when Milah divorced him and won sole custody. Despite all of Cal's best efforts the courts had sided with the mother and Neal always blamed him for not trying harder. Abandoned, was the term that most often came up in fights.

In recent years, since Henry's birth, Neal had made more efforts to patch things up with his father so that Henry could know his grandfather. Things were often still tense between them though and Mal knew that if Neal found out about this little stunt in using Henry for Cal's own ends that it would be a real issue. Mal loved Cal on a friendly level and remembered how much it had hurt him when he lost his son. She really didn't want to have to go through that with him again.

Gold sighed and caressed her cheek. "I appreciate the concern, my dear, but Henry and I will be in and out of there and back to his school without anyone knowing otherwise. Call them," he said and gave her a quick peck on the cheek.

"Just for the record, I'm still stating that this is a bad idea!" Mal called after him.

Gold just laughed as he left his office. He appreciated Mal's concerns but he wasn't stupid. He just wanted to get the scoop on this shop, on this Belle French. Getting to see his grandson and accomplishing his work at the same time was just a bonus. Neal would never have to know.

* * *

_Next chapter: Gold meets Belle, Henry is awful at being undercover, Neal makes an appearance and thespinner61 and bookworm chat again_


End file.
